DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER. I ONLY OWN THE PLOT

Twenty-Five

"You sent her behind the veil? Do you know hard it is for you to even bring her back?" Snape exploded. If Lucius wasn't his friend he would happily have ended his life.

"Don't act like my father!" Lucius snarled. If there was one thing he hated about Snape it was that he always managed to sound like his damned father. Lucius had been raised by his father after his mother's death and it had not been a happy life to live. Many times he had gotten beat so bad he thought he would have died if it hadn't been for his sister who had always interfered.

"I apologize but you do know that sending her behind the veil is equal to her being dead right?" Snape already knew that Lucius knew that. He wasn't dumb. Frustrated, Lucius threw his hands in the air.

"Oh for Merlin's sake! What would you have had me do? Watch was my ex-wife get raped and my son who is not actually my son but I still care about him got beaten to a pulp?"

"No but you could have left the house. At least the poor girl wouldn't have to go through the trauma of thinking her daughter die. This by the way brings up a new topic. Hermione Granger is a virgin?" Lucius glared at Snape.

"Yes the girl is a virgin you fool! When she gave birth the nurses were puzzled and she had some sort of other labor." Snape raised an eye brow.

"Well how am I supposed to know what kind of labor she went through?" Lucius demanded.

"You mean the labor were they take the child out through magical means?" that was a procedure which was extremely rare. Most people who gave birth had already had sexual intercourse. For Hermione Granger the baby had come out of her vagina but it had been resized so that the baby could come out without tearing her apart. It was a tricky process which placed both lives of the mother and child at risk.

"Yes that thing." Lucius actually looked a bit embarrassed to be talking about pregnancies.

"You need to return the child," Snape said quietly.

"No I do not! I will not allow some other man to marry Granger and have my child call another man "daddy!"" Lucius roared furious. Snape smirked.

"Oh you don't want another man to marry Granger, eh?" he asked. Lucius turned to his friend with bloody murder in his eyes.

"You know what I mean! I don't want my child calling someone else daddy!"

"So you don't care who ever Granger marries? You don't care who actually takes away her virginity?" Lucius swore he saw red. He almost lunged for Snape had it not been for the hex thrown his way. There was a see through wall blocking Lucius from reaching across and choking a very smug looking Serverus Snape.

"Oh come on Lucius. You don't care about that mud blood? How can you? You're main concern is purebloods or am I mistaken?"

"You take this wall down right now you bastard!" Lucius hollered. Snape only laughed in response until Lucius used his own wand to take the wall down himself.

"Now, why don't you repeat what you just said?" Snape laughed for a few more seconds but sobered up. He didn't want to piss Lucius off any more

"Enough Lucius. Right now, you need to go back to your rooms and prepare yourself for class tomorrow."

It had been a whole week of torture not going to class but now Hermione was finally able to get out of the health room. She had had Ginny bring her the work despite Madame Pomfrey's strict directions. The boys had visited her too bringing her chocolates and flowers. Even Lavender had come and asked her how she had been doing but Hermione suspected it was Ginny's doing. She had probably asked Lavender to behave and act like a human being for once towards Hermione. Harry had been a sweetheart. He had sat with Hermione and they had laughed and joked around until he had been kicked out. Hermione hadn't remembered anything except for the shadows and the dead boy. After that her brain had drawn a blank. The nurse had told her it was the effect of falling down. She had also told Hermione that Snape had shot a spell at her so the fall wouldn't affect her too much. Hermione had been surprised. She hadn't known Snape would try to save her life. Against her own will her thoughts travelled to Lucius. She remembered the time in her room before they had been interrupted and shuddered. She was glad something had happened to break the moment of attraction.

"Hermione are you sure you are ready to go back to class after this?" the nurse asked, finishing her last minute checkups. Hermione nodded. At least class would offer her an escape from an idle mind.

"This is Hermione you're talking about," Ron said, smiling at Hermione. She rolled her eyes, hiding a smile. McGonagall came inside her face lighting up in a smile. She rushed over to Hermione and squeezed her until Hermione couldn't breathe. This was how it felt when Mrs. Weasley hugged her.

"My dear I am so glad to know that you are feeling so well! You had us all worried!" McGonagall exclaimed. Hermione ran a hand through her unruly locks.

"I am fine now. I have to thank the head master though," Hermione said. McGonagall's smile faltered a little bit. She still harbored ill feelings toward the former potions master.

"Yes, I believe you do," a voice came from the door way. Hermione turned around half hoping it was Lucius but her hope faded when she saw it was Snape. She ignored the feeling of disappointment. It didn't matter if Lucius had shown up to see how she was doing. He wasn't important to her. Just like she wasn't important to him.

"Hello headmaster," Hermione began politely. Snape looked down at her, his usual sneer on his face. But this time, his eyes held a level of admiration for her and some sympathy. What the hell? Snap doesn't have a sympathetic bone in his body especially when it comes to me! Hermione thought but there he was. Yes the man had a permanent sneer glued to his damn face but she had gotten used to that. The admiration was new and the sympathetic look was even more of a shock. I wonder how much I missed when I was knocked out.

"Yes, I am glad to see the know-it-all is alright and now if you could come with me Granger? I have something to discuss with you." To their surprise Hermione nodded her head.

"Thank you Miss Granger. Come along now." Ron stood open mouthed staring after his best friend.

"Be careful Mione," he said as she walked away with Snape.

Once outside, Hermione was tackled by a huge body. Snape turned around and his eyes narrowed at the huge idiot who had thrown himself onto Hermione. He noticed Lucius had stopped in the hall way to take away points when his eyes turned to the two figures next to Snape. His eyes narrowed into slits and Snape was sure he was going to come over there and break the two of them up. He smiled when Lucius caught his gaze and began to ascend up the steps. Snape longed for a good ol' fight but he knew better.

"Oh Hermione! I've missed you so much!" Viktor Kurum said, squeezing Hermione. She gasped for air, fighting him off. To an onlooker it looked like two couples holding one another after a long time spent away from one another.

"Get off of me!" she hissed, pushing Viktor. He pulled away his hands holding Hermione's upper arms.

"Ok Kurum, get off of her," Snape ordered, watching the boy reluctantly let go of Hermione. She jerked her arms back from him glaring at the saddened boy.

"Are you ok? That night when that Malfoy fellow saved you and took you to the nurse I am sorry I hadn't been there!" Hermione began to roll her eyes but stopped when she heard the name "Malfoy." Lucius had taken her to the health room?

"What? Mister Malfoy took me to the nurse? I thought Harry had taken me," Hermione said, not knowing that Lucius was standing right behind her. Kurum's eyes widened slightly when his gaze slipped to the figure behind Hermione.

"No Miss Granger, it had been I who had taken you to Madame Pomfrey. Mr. Potter had been a bit busy ogling your unconscious body on the floor," a voice drawled from behind her. Hermione slowly turned her head and body coming face to face with Lucius's chest. Her eyes slid past his torso and met his blue eyes. A sudden thought occurred to her. Those blue eyes had been just the same eyes Emily had been born with…

"I- I didn't know." Malfoy looked down at her sneering like his usual self. Hermione's cheeks heated up and she quickly looked away.

"Yes, I know you didn't. I didn't expect Potter to tell you since he likes to claim the glory of saving the lives of others." Hermione shook her head.

"It wasn't like that. No one told me anything." Lucius quirked an eye brow at her.

"Yes I am sure you're little friends didn't tell you anything," he said sarcastically.

"No sir they did not!" she snapped. Hermione might get annoyed of the boys sometimes but they were still family. She wouldn't allow anyone to talk about them.

"OK! Miss Granger I believe we have something to discuss and Lucius you have a class room to get back to," Snape said, giving Lucius the shut-your-damned- mouth look. Before either of them could open their mouths to speak he stopped them by taking Hermione away, and leaving Lucius to glower at the quidditch player in front of him.

"Professor, what are we going to talk about?" Hermione demanded when the door opened to the head master's office. The portraits of the former Head masters' were snoring softly all except for Dumbledore. Gasping Hermione waved to him.

"Miss Granger! How are you my dear?" the old head master asked, the usual twinkle in his eyes. His eyes travelled to the bandage covering her head.

"I am well thank you professor. How are you?"

"Oh I am quite well dear. Professor Snape has been telling me about the incident last week and the shadows you seem to be seeing in your dreams. Can you tell me about them?" Hermione blushed. She hadn't wanted to get to this point but it seemed like there was no other choice.

"I don't know professor. I have had dreams about these people. The followers of Voldemort. In the battle I had killed Bellatrix and some other men but they seem to be alive somehow. When they come into my dream, I am always alone in a forest. There is nowhere to run and I always end up getting killed." Hermione refused to tell them who that person was. It was bad enough that they knew about the dreams but she didn't want to bring Malfoy in this.

"Who killed you?" Snape asked. Hermione bit her bottom lip. She couldn't lie to them yet it seemed wrong to bring Lucius into this.

"Miss Granger, I fear that we are going to fall onto bad time again and we need to know what is going on with you." Hermione sighed.

"Lucius Malfoy, sir."

"What? Malfoy?" Snape demanded, not sure he had heard her correctly. Hermione nodded her head.

"That's strange. Very strange," Dumbledore said. Snape shook his head.

"But you didn't kill Lucius though. Why does he appear to be the killer in your dreams?" Hermione shrugged. She honestly had no idea. Now that she thought about it, it didn't make sense but she couldn't stop what was going on.

"Professor you said we might fall on bad times. What kind of bad times?" Both men looked at one another and then back at Hermione.

"Miss Granger I fear that we might have to prepare for another war."